Eskasoni men fast in support of Chief Spence

Just six determined men camped out in a teepee on Goat Island, which is connected to this First Nation community by a causeway.

“We are going without food and water for four days because there was a call out in support of Chief (Theresa) Spence for her hunger strike,” Chief Leroy Denny of Eskasoni First Nation said Friday, as he and the others sat around a sacred fire.

Spence, the leader of Attawapiskat First Nation in northern Ontario, is entering her third week of a hunger strike aimed at getting Prime Minister Stephen Harper to meet with her to discuss concerns over Bill C-45, the federal government’s omnibus budget bill.

Many native leaders fear the bill threatens treaties and environmental protection for waterways.

Spence’s hunger strike has spawned a movement across the country, called Idle No More, which has prompted native and non-natives across the continent and, lately, around the globe, to take up her cause.

Flash mobs, blockades and fasts have been part of the protest.

“Leaders right across the country are doing this fast and we also do it for our own people; we pray for those community members who are struggling with life and illness,” Denny said. “We are making a sacrifice for them.”

The men on Goat Island, who by noon Friday had been fasting for 24 hours, were making their sacrifice out of the view of all but the the most ardent supporters.

“This is a sacred ceremony,” Denny said. “It is not a small accomplishment.”

It’s about a 10-minute walk across the island to where the teepee is set up around the sacred fire. In the distance are other dark islands that dot this section of the Bras d’Dor Lake.

“My house is on that island over there,” said Denny, pointing across the lake. “I think I heard my dog bark last night.”

The first night in the teepee was miserable.

“It was very stormy and there was a cold mix of snow, ice, rain,” he said. “It was bad but we made it through anyway.”

Rain came in through the teepee’s canvas and the howling wind did nothing to lift their spirits.

“We did sleep, well dozed off, and we had to take turns to keep the fire going,” said Denny. “Last night was the longest night ever.”

To while away the time “we have discussions, we pray, we meditate, we sing songs and we just talk, joke around because humour is part of our culture,” he said. “We had a couple of elders visit to share a story or two.”

On Friday, a mother and her 12-year-old son joined the group and took part in a one-day fast.

Denny, 36, said he was beginning to feel a little under the weather from the lack of food and sleep.

“I get some headaches but I put a little snow on my forehead and it goes away.”